AB1075 CHARACTERISTICS OF COLOMBIAN PATIENTS WITH SPONDYLOARTHRITIS: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AXIAL AND PERIPHERAL RESULTS FROM THE GESPA COLOMBIAN COHORT
Authors: J. Londono, I. Rueda, A. M. Santos, G. Rodríguez Salas, M. J. Mantilla, J. C. Santacruz Devia, S. Arias, J. Rueda, J. M. Bello-Gualtero, E. Calvo, M. Cardiel, C. F. Pacheco Tena
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Spondyloarthritis groups several diseases with similar clinical, biochemical, and imaging characteristics. These similarities have allowed this disease to be classified since 2009 as both axial or peripheral. The Latin American population with spondyloarthritis presents differential characteristics that do not allow it to be adequately classified by the current ASAS criteria, and because there are few latin cohorts of patients with spondyloarthritis, it is necessary to continue with the construction of said cohorts to improve the knowledge of the disease in our region, improving our participation in the construction of more inclusive criteria. <h3>Objectives</h3> To describe the clinical, biochemical, and imaging characteristics of Colombian patients diagnosed with spondyloarthritis at a reference institution in Bogotá DC. <h3>Methods</h3> Patients with a diagnosis of spondyloarthritis were chosen according to the assessment carried out by four expert rheumatologists at a reference institution in Bogotá DC, Colombia, between 2002 and 2015. They underwent a survey that included clinical, biochemical, and imaging characteristics and were followed up in a rheumatology clinic. <h3>Results</h3> 473 patients were recruited between 2002 and 2015, with 65.1% men, 83.7% being of mixed race, a mean age of onset of the disease of 29.5 years, and a median delay in the diagnosis of the disease of 24 months. According to the ASAS classification, there were 189 axial patients and 223 peripheral patients; there were no differences between the age of onset of symptoms, sex, race, or duration of the first symptom between both groups. The axial patients had the longest delay in diagnosis (P = 0.03); more low back pain and less arthritis as initial symptoms (P 0.001); a higher frequency of insidious onset of arthritis (P 0.001); greater pain in the spine, stiffness, and inflammatory characteristics of pain (P 0.001). Patients with axSpA presented with more enthesitis (P = 0.03), less arthritis (P = 0.02), limited chest expansion (P = 0.03), and sacroiliitis on physical examination (P = 0.001). Patients with pSpA have a lower frequency of HLA-B27 (P 0.001) but a higher frequency of other HLA alleles (P = 0.01), such as HLA-B15 (P = 0.001), with a higher ESR (P = 0.03). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Colombian patients with SpA are predominantly young men, with pSpA being the most frequent. AxSpA patients present a longer delay in diagnosis, more low back pain and less arthritis as initial symptoms, greater pain and stiffness of the spine compared to patients with pSpA spondyloarthritis, but the latter present more of the HLA-B15 allele, a higher frequency of previous infection and higher ESR than patients with axSpA. <h3>Reference</h3> [1]Rudwaleit M, van der Heijde D, Landewe R, Listing J, Akkoc N, Brandt J, et al. The development of Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis (part II): validation and final selection. Ann Rheum Dis [Internet]. 2009 Jun 1;68(6):777–83. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> NIL. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> None Declared.